


Equation of the SOUL

by LadyHikariofDarkness



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: But not exactly, Chara is a blast to write, Frisk is kinda oblivious, Genocide Route, It's hard to explain, Its fun to make wonderful cliff hangers, Kinda AU, but it's also not, only a bit though, or just writing this in general
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-03-07
Updated: 2016-08-19
Packaged: 2018-05-25 07:48:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 12
Words: 16,596
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6186457
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LadyHikariofDarkness/pseuds/LadyHikariofDarkness
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Darkness.<br/>Darkness was she was answered with. No feeling, no sense, just a dead black that hung heavy on her shoulders. It was oppressive and demanded complete submission.<br/>It had to be stopped. It had to be stopped before it reached HIM.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Reawakened

“Why….Why him?”

**Chapter 1 - Reawakened**

Frisk woke with a start, her eyes filling with tears as her surroundings slowly swam back into her vision. She…. She remembered everything. Everything that happened over the months of her adventures in the underground. The monsters she spared and convinced to back down. Flowey and his cruel, hopeless views on life. His transformation to Asriel Dreemurr, child of Asgore, King of the Underground, and Toriel, her caretaker while she was in the ruins. Her friends, Sans, Papyrus, Undyne, Alphys…… Her heart twisted with sadness and pain as she recalled the last memory, one she wasn't in much control of herself. A small girl, probably eight or nine, smiling brightly, her grin starkly contrasting the scene before her.

_“Congratulations Asriel, Frisk, you two have awakened me. For that, I will show my gratitude.”_

_The bell-like voice rang before the scene went to hell. In quick succession, she stabbed each of Frisk’s friends without much opposition, until she got to Sans. The short skeleton, much to everyone's surprise, teleported next to Frisk._

_“what? you think i’d sit there? i didn’t face frisk for a reason.” He said, his slight accent apparent._

_His left eye glowed brilliant shades of blue and green as he smiled that laid back smile of his. This seemed to taunt the little girl as her eyes narrowed, looking incredulously at Sans._

_“How funny, a skeleton is trying to stop my gratitude? What do you take me for, a PLAYER?”_

_“nah, but ya don't seem to know me too well, do ya? if you keep going down this path, you're gonna have a bad time…” He replied with a shrug that did nothing to hide the sharp edge to his words._

_Asriel took her hand with a sad frown, “He's stalling for us, we need to get you somewhere else. We need you to do something only you can do at the moment. Unfortunately, Chara also knows of this power, so Sans may be a bit overwhelmed, she has quite the mind when set to something.”_

_Chara? Ah… The girl…_

_Asriel tugged at her hand urgently, signaling that they needed to go now. She ran with him through the Underground. They ran through the areas for hours: Core, Hotland, Waterfall, Snowdin, before reaching the entrance to the Ruins. Asriel tugged her along into Toriel’s house and into and unmarked room. He leaned against the door to catch his breath._

_“What power did you mean?” Frisk asked quietly, “When we ran you said something about that.”_

_Asriel shifted his eyes in conflict, his grim face betraying the gravity of ability, “It-It’s an ability like SAVE, but much worse than some memory loss…. If you used this, this world would be destroyed, everyone here gone. Even as a flower, I was never able to use it.”_

_Frisk caught on, she knew her own powers after all, “NEW GAME…it would destroy Chara?”_

_“Theoretically, it should, but… Chara, she…. She's not a human, she doesn't have any SOUL left, but she has DETERMINATION, she can fuse with anything.” He said solemnly._

_Frisk gasped, “Alphys wasn't wrong with her DETERMINATION theory, not even close.”_

_Asriel nodded, “You have to hurry! Sans is probably on his last legs, if you don't do it now, she’ll kill us all!”_

_Frisk nodded before her eyes went blank, “NEW GAME will start shortly. Please confirm to continue.”_

_She nodded slightly, “NEW GAME ACTIVATED! OLD GAME ERASURE COMMENCING!”_

Frisk’s eyes glowed stark white as her arms spread wide, her body lifting itself in the air. Asriel watched in awe and relief that it was working. Footsteps sounded hurried and fast as the door was slammed open. Chara stood at the door, her face losing her infamous grin to be replaced with fury and fear as she stared at the glowing girl in the center of the room.

“NO! Why would you do this! I'm finally alive again!” She screeched. “I WON’T let you take that from me!”

Asriel turned to his foster sister, “But you aren't you.”

“YES I AM, CAN’T YOU SEE. I’M CHARA!” She screamed at him.

“All I see is a bloodthirsty monste- no THING, that only thrives in killing.”

“Fine! If you won't let me live, I'll just make you and Frisk’s lives living hells!” She shouted, running at Frisk and diving at her.

Asriel watched in horror as she melted into Frisk, disappearing from sight. He was about to yell when Frisk started to speak the words that made his face go ashen.

“ERASURE COMPLETE. NEW GAME WILL START PROMPTLY.”

Her body started to light up like the sun as Asriel could do nothing but sit and watch with shock as the world went white.

Frisk shook her head sadly as looked around, the barren cave void of life except for a single patch of yellow flowers where she was lying. She got up slowly, her entire body aching as she took the familiar path once more. Her senses warned her of an encounter as she whipped around to face a familiar yellow flower. The world went monochrome as a red heart took shape on her chest.

“Howdy! I’m Flowey the flower! Who are you?”

“No….Asriel, no!” she murmured heartbroken.

His face morphed to one of shock briefly before he composed himself, “N-no I’m Flowey. W-who’s Asriel?”

“I’m not an idiot, you’re Asriel Dreemurr. Care for me to prove myself with your life story or are you good?” Frisk deadpanned.

“Wait a second!” Flowey drawled, his face betraying a small, sly grin, “The only human who knows that is…. Chara!”

At the mention of the eight year old serial killer, Frisk’s head began to split with pain, “AUUUGGGHH!”

Flowey stared at the girl, his confusion evident. Was this not Chara? She seemed similar enough, slightly older but that was to be expected. That girl in question froze from her position before slowly getting up, her sclerae turned pitch black.

_“If you want to live, I'd suggest not calling that name again, my new host doesn't know I'm here, and if I want this to go as I plan, she can't know. So if you value your life, Dreemurr, keep your mouth shut.”_ Chara threatened with narrowed eyes and a wide grin, _“Her name is Frisk if you want a name to a face, and I don't plan on letting this body go so soon, so get used to it if you want to stalk me or something. I'd kill you now, but the ‘story’ doesn't go that way, keep that in mind. Tell anyone what I'm doing and I make your death slow and painful.”_

Flowey quaked slightly from the somewhat crazy look the girl had, “I-I understand…”

The girl smiled brightly at that, _“Thank you! See you!”_

With that, the girl collapsed into a heap on the ground, taking a few seconds before waking up again. Her sclerae were normal again as she glanced around in confusion. She noticed the flower next to her.

“What happened?” Frisk asked in dazed bewilderment, not noticing the fear on Flowey’s face.

“U-um, you screamed and collapsed all of a sudden, you were out for a couple minutes.” Flowey replied, trying to keep his voice even.  
“How about I explain to you the rules of the Underground?”

Frisk shook her head, “I know them already, I don't need lessons.”

The only reason she refused was because she had a feeling Flowey would pull the same stunt on her like he did last time, when she was ignorant of Underground. Although she knew Toriel was somewhere, Frisk still didn't want her SOUL damaged. She walked past him as she made her way through the ruins. The puzzles were familiar and easy as she walked leisurely. Her senses alerted her once again to an encounter as she turned to face the monster in question as the world took to the familiar hues. It was a Froggit. She smiled, it was healthy and fine.

_“Kill…”_

She looked around confused, searching for the voice. The Froggit hadn't spoken, Frisk was certain of that, but she couldn't tell where it had come from.

_“Kill! Kill….kill! Kill it now!”_

The Froggit was nice enough to wait for her acknowledge it, but it soon realized that the girl was no longer there. It shivered and started to hop back little by little only to be frozen by the acidic grin and black sclerae the face now held.

_“This is going to be fun~!”_ A high-pitched voice sang joyously.

The Froggit didn't even have a chance to run.


	2. Confusion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Frisk doesn't understand what happened while she was passed. She doesn't get much time before the wonderful goat mom comes in.

**Chapter 2 - Confusion**

Frisk rubbed her eyes tiredly as she sat up. She was covered in what look like dust, sneezing when some got in her nose.

“H-huh? Where’d the Froggit go?”

She looked around before getting up and walking forward. The sound of footsteps rang loud in the empty hall. This felt so strange, she was supposed to be with Toriel, but right now, she only had herself. Where was Toriel?

As if by her thoughts alone, another set of footsteps echoed down the hall. She stopped and tensed, debating running back to the flower patch. She didn't need to when she caught glimpse of the purple robe that was very familiar to her. She couldn't stop herself from running at Toriel, tears starting to fall from her eyes.

“Oh dear!” Toriel exclaimed with surprise, “Who is this?”

Frisk felt herself being gently pulled away from the woman. Toriel stared her before her eyes widened with happiness and surprise.

“A human child?” She asked herself quietly, “How did you get down here, my child?”

“I-I fell. At the patch of flowers.” Frisk stuttered, her eyes still letting tears fall freely.

“What is your name? Mine is Toriel.” The goat woman asked gently.

“Frisk. I'm…Frisk.” The girl replied shakily.

Toriel looked down at the girl motherly, “Well, Frisk, would you like to come to my home and rest?”

“Thank you…Toriel.”

The two had gone through a good chunk of the Ruins when Toriel stopped and turned to her new charge.

“Frisk, I need to run ahead. Here's a cellphone in case there's any danger. Stay here, I'll be right back.” Toriel explained slowly.

Frisk nodded, “I will.”

“Good, my child. I will be back soon.”

With that Toriel left and Frisk was stuck waiting. She looked around the corridor, but saw nothing that caught her attention, so she waited. A little after, her cellphone rang. She picked up to hear the familiar voice on the other end.

“Hello, Frisk. I just wanted to check up on you and see if you stayed were I left you.” Toriel laughed.

Frisk nodded before catching herself and giving Toriel an answer, “ I'm fine, I haven't left the corridor, when will you come back?”

Toriel paused before answering the 13 year old, “Soon, but first, a quick question. Which do you prefer: cinnamon or butterscotch?”

“Butterscotch is fine.” Frisk replied, her mouth watering at the thought.

“Okay, thank you. I'll see you soon my child.” The line went dead.

_“Why don't you go to sleep…”_

Frisk jumped as the voice rang out once again. It echoed through the hall and she couldn't tell from where. She debated whether she should go with its suggestion or not. The voice had no inflection, so she couldn't even tell what it's intention was. It wouldn't hurt, Toriel did want her to stay there, so it should be fine.

Frisk drifted off after a couple minutes and started to relax. It was fine, Toriel wouldn't mind…

Black sclerae on blue eyes narrowed in a victorious smirk. Chara had control now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a bit short because I want to save the destruction for next chapter. Also, Chara made a damn good cliffhanger. Hope you enjoy~
> 
> ~LadyHikari


	3. Falling Apart

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Welp, Chara has control, we are officially screwed :/
> 
> But seriously, we have to hope she doesn't find any weapons.

**Chapter 3 - Falling Apart**

_“Thank you for listening to me, you idiot. I'm in control now and you'll be none the wiser to what I do. I'll wake you up eventually, to keep up the shroud of innocence.”_ Chara mocked out loud, giggling at her new host’s blind, stupid faith.

She was dying for some more action. She could kill all of the Underground and keep Frisk out of the loop. She walked through the corridors of the Ruins slowly and lazily. She had all the time she wanted after all.

Frisk’s senses alerted Chara to a new monster. A new victim of her onslaught. It was so fun to watch the terror on that last monster's face as she swung mercilessly. She hoped this one would provide the same excitement. She grinned as monochrome set in and a red heart appeared on her chest. It was a stupid bug and a vegetable with a face. The dust flew as quickly as the monsters had appeared.

Chara, for once, was feeling something other than glee, frustration.

 _“That old lady and her stupid puzzle wards. How do I solve this…”_ She muttered to herself darkly.

Needless to say, Chara was stuck solving puzzles for quite some time before she reached an puzzle free room. Filled with monsters. Her frustration turned immediately to sadistic pleasure as she eyed each one. There were more of those frogs, bugs, and vegetables, but with a couple new ones as well. This time, she started the battle.

The monsters looked at each other in confusion as she chuckled to herself darkly from the entrance. She stepped out with wide and crazed grin, alerting the monsters with her footsteps. Some didn't understand what was about to befall them, but others, oh, the delicious terror made Chara sigh in bliss. They couldn't run, and some knew this. She had control in battle.

The first few monsters were gone instantly in a flash of dust, but after that they all scattered and ran. None seemed to realize the background hadn't changed back when they fled from the room. They couldn't escape, only her. She took her time with this knowledge, causally avoiding the pathetic attacks of the few moronic ones trying to be brave, before defeating them as quickly as the first few.

The rest were tricky as they hid behind pillars and walls, making no sound. This time, she slowed her walk deliberately, someone would mess up. One did, a fat, little monster with horns, by gasping as she slowly drew near. She snuck up behind it and whispered into it’s ear as it shivered.

_“I found you~”_

The dust that flew paled in comparison to it’s terrified whimper.

Chara deicided to check the rooms behind her after that, to make sure she missed nothing. As it would seem, she had missed some. They were huddled in the corner of the room she started this in, whispering in hushed panicked tones. She left no time for them to escape her again.

She growled, where was that last monster?! These feelings of anger and frustration were annoying her, why did humans need these pathetic emotions anyway! She didn't! They were stupid! When she found that monster, it would die a painful death. She stomped through the halls angrily, scanning every nook and cranny.

 _“Where are you?!”_ She screeched, hatred for the monster growing.

She noticed movement in her peripheral and lunged at it and swung violently, taking no pleasure and only a release of anger. She panted, glaring at the dust where it was.

_“I hate you so much, you puny insect.”_

She stalked through the halls, ignoring a ghost fading in her path as she stood in front of one place she never wanted to see, and she wouldn't have to as she threw Frisk in control.

Frisk rubbed her eyes and looked at her surroundings in confusion. She knew she fell asleep back in the hallway Toriel left her, but she woke here. How could that happen? Maybe Toriel came back and picked her up. She looked up at the goat woman's house and knocked on the door. A crash and hurried footsteps came from behind it when Toriel opened the door.

“Frisk! Why are you here? I was going to pick you up soon.” Toriel asked with evident surprise.

“I went to sleep in the hallway you left me in, and I woke up here.” Was the equally confused reply.

They both stared at each other in silent agreement to drop the topic. Toriel ushered Frisk in.

“Come in, come in. I have a treat for you and you can wash up in the bathroom. You’re covered in dust. It's down the left hall on the right all the way to the back.” Toriel provided.

“Thanks, do you have anything for me to wear?”

“I'll find something, just go wash up.” Toriel smiled kindly, nudging her towards the hallway.

Frisk took to the bathroom, locking it behind her. She stripped off her clothes, finally noticing the layer of dust coating most of her front. She felt her hair to find a similar situation.

“Of course it’s everywhere…” She muttered.

She stepped into the shower and washed herself, taking her time to enjoy the water. The curtain hung and blocked all of her view outside of the shower and the water was loud. She barely caught the sound of the door opening and closing, barely. She suspected Toriel had picked up her clothes or placed some fresh clothes.

Once she felt clean enough, she turned off the water and peeked out to see what Toriel left her. There was a towel and a sweater identical to hers with inverted colors. A jean skirt was with it. She stepped out and dried herself off before trying on the clothes, the skirt a bit tight, but the sweater fit well.

She stepped out into the hall, her damp hair clinging to her neck, and went to the living room. Toriel was in an armchair, relaxing, before turning to Frisk with a grin.

“I left your gift in the kitchen. It's the room behind me.” Toriel told her, gesturing to the door behind her.

Frisk nodded, “Thank you for helping me so much.”

“It's never a problem, my child.”

Frisk headed into the kitchen to find a butterscotch cinnamon pie on the table with a fork next to it. Her mouth watered as she settled down. She was about to dig in when a statement from seemingly nowhere made her freeze.

_“Where are the knives?”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys, welcome back! This chapter was so fun to write, what with characterizing Chara and all. She is so sadistic and crazy, it's awesome! Hope you liked this.  
> ~LadyHikari


	4. Fear and Loss

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Oh, Chara, you love ruining happiness, don't you? This girl is very determined in her goal of messing up Frisk's entire life, isn't she. Revenge is very sweet to her.

**Chapter 4 - Fear and Loss**

“W-what?” Frisk whispered quietly, startled by the malicious statement.

The voice didn't answer and the room was silent. Frisk hesitantly picked up her fork she dropped a few seconds before and slowly ate the pie. It was delicious, like she remembered, but she couldn't stop the caution caused by the bodiless voice. Who wouldn't be cautious? A voice with seemingly no source, is looking for a weapon. She was definitely unnerved by this.

She put her plate and fork in the sink before heading out to the living room where Toriel was. She was still relaxing in her chair, looking to be on the verge of falling asleep. She tiptoed past the woman and into the hallway. She spared a glance at the stairs, but decided to stay longer. She made her way into the hallway and to the familiar guest room she had slept in before, the bed against the wall. She moved on to the middle room, which was Toriel's. It was neat and orderly, a large bed on the left wall. After taking the glance, she moved on to the last door, claiming to be under renovation. She knew this was where Asgore’s room would be, since Asgore had done the same to Toriel's room in his home. Not even bothering to try and open it, she instead looked into the mirror next to it.

“It's me.” She told herself as confidently as she could muster.

It wasn't enough as a flicker of doubt passed through her. As soon as it hit, a shadowed silhouette identical to herself flickered into existence next to her. It was gone a second later, but the whisper that seemed to carry a smirk with it rang much longer in her ears.

_“Hello Frisk.”_

She backed away from that mirror with wide eyes, refusing to believe that doubt. Refusing to believe that the figure was who she dreaded most. So she did, turning her mind to other things to avoid thinking about it.

She went back to the living room where Toriel was now wearing her reading glasses, a book in hand. She glanced up from her book with a small smile.

“Hello Frisk, do you need anything?”

Frisk decided to bring up the one unspoken rule Toriel had, “When can I leave the Ruins?”

Toriel's eyes were instantly cold and distant as she struggled to not turn down Frisk, “Why would you want to leave? Are you not content here?”

“I can't stay here because being with you is fine, but I want to see the Underground. I can't do that here.” Frisk explained, struggling not to uncover the real truth.

Toriel's glasses were now on the table next to her, “You can't leave, it's much too dangerous. Every child I have protected has died once they left. I can't let another die.”

“I can defend myself, I don't rush in and hurt people. Can you not have faith I'll live?”

Toriel looked away, her face hard, “I lost that the first time I let a child die. I'm going to seal the Ruins. If you are serious in going out, come and stop me.”

With that final statement, Toriel left to the basement. Frisk stared after her.

After a couple minutes, Frisk headed to the stairs of her soon-to-be former home. She grabbed Toriel's glasses, pocketed them in her skirt pocket, and went down to the basement. A long corridor that she wouldn't see for a while greeted her sight. She followed it to a room, Toriel was at the opposite end facing the exit to the Ruins.

“Why couldn't you have stayed. Why can't you let me protect you!” Sadness laced with annoyance and defeat rang out.

Frisk shook her head even though Toriel wasn't facing her, “Part of being a parent is knowing when to let your child learn their own lessons. As much as both of us want me to stay, I can't do that. I saw the shoes in the guest room, most of the others weren't even in their teens, I'm 13. I have to go.”

Toriel turned towards the girl, a tired and defeated defiance was present in her eyes, “You have to prove it to me, Frisk.”

With the uttering of those words, the world faded to monochrome, the heart appearing on her chest. Toriel stood in front of her, blocking the way. She wasn't about to budge anytime soon. Frisk shook her head when her turn came up, refusing to engage Toriel. Toriel stared at her in confusion.

“Why aren't you attacking, if you want to prove yourself, this won't work.”

As if to strengthen her point, she attack Frisk with her kinetic fireballs. Frisk narrowly dodged them all and when she looked at Toriel after, she saw a flicker of relief in the goat’s eyes. It didn't change her from not attacking though and she refused once again.

“Frisk, why won't you fight back?”

Frisk refused to meet her eye, knowing if she tried to talk now, she’d only break down. She dodged her attacks every time, the different patterns sometimes glancing her heart, making her wince. Each attack Toriel fired, Frisk met with refusal to do so, Toriel sounding more and more desperate for her to attack. After about the 12th time through, Toriel ceased attacking as well. Frisk risked a glance and saw tears on Toriel's white fur, unbeknownst to her, identical tracks flowed down her cheeks as well. For some strange reason though, her mind started to haze and her eyes felt heavy as she collapsed on the floor.

Toriel gasped as Frisk fell, her eyes wide with guilt. She didn't want for Frisk to pass out, she just wanted to protect her. As she lost herself in guilt, she noticed Frisk get to her feet. The girl's head was bowed, her bangs covering her face.

“Frisk! You're okay! I'm sorry to have hurt-”

_“Guess again, ‘Mother’”_

Chara raised her head to look at the confused woman, a chuckle bubbling up as she saw the confused look. As she stared up fully at the old goat, Toriel gasped.

“W-who are you? What did you do to Frisk!”

Chara mocked pouted, her black eyes betraying her emotions, _“I'm hurt you don't remember me, I mean me and Ri-Ri were your first children after all.”_

Toriel shook her head in denial, “Y-you can't be, you died! It's impossible!”

 _“Did you honestly think that would stop me? You admitted it yourself before, I was always filled with such DETERMINATION. Death was basically trivial.”_ Chara shrugged with smirk, _“What happened to daddy dearest, did he hate me for trying to kill him? Or was it my ‘death’? Oh, maybe it was Asriel becoming a wretched little flower! Tell me, do you know?”_

“You don't belong in that body, Frisk hasn't done anything to you!” Toriel spoke sharply, desperate to move the topic.

It seemed to be one for the worse as Chara frowned, hatred filling her eyes, _“Oh, but she has, she stole what's mine, she convinced Asriel that I was a monster and needed to be erased! She wrecked my chance at being in this world again, so I'm gonna destroy her chance. She can't just do NEW GAME and get rid of me like last time, she doesn't even know I'm here. I'm going ruin her life slowly and painfully.”_

“What do you mean ‘last time’?” Toriel asked her adopted daughter.

 _“This isn't the first time she's been through the Underground. You see, Alphys missed one crucial fact about a being with a perfect balance of DETERMINATION, they all possess a power.”_ Chara explained, knowing Toriel wouldn't get the chance to run and tell anyway, _“My DETERMINATION allowed me to remain in a dormant state and live without a SOUL when I died. Frisk, however, was in possession of extraordinary abilities, she can SAVE, RESET, and most of all, perform NEW GAME. No one knew because the abilities do as they imply.”_

“If that's the case, I'm not letting you out into the Underground!” Toriel stated confidently.

 _“Oh, ‘Mother’, you don't get a choice."_ Chara stated, her smile wide and psychotic.

“Wh-” Toriel got out before she was slashed fatally across the chest by what looked like a previously hidden toy knife.

She gasped in shock as Chara waved, her body in immense pain.

_“I snatched this on the way to your house, goodbye ‘Mother’.”_

Frisk woke up in a pitch black void. It was empty except for light shining across from her. She got up to stand on surprisingly solid ground and made her way over to the light. What she saw in that light made her regret that decision as she saw herself and Toriel staring each other before she witnessed something she wouldn't ever have wanted to see. Her body took out a plastic knife and slashed at Toriel, a giant gash forming on the woman's chest as she fell to a kneel. Frisk shook her head slowly as tears started to fall.

“N-no, let me out! Toriel! Toriel!” She cried out to nothing before she was shoved.

She opened her eyes to find the sight she hoped hadn't happened. Her eyes were watery as she stumbled to the goat. Toriel was already fading, but she looked relieved to see her.

“G-good, you're al-alright.” Toriel coughed weakly, “I'm pr-proud, y-you did it.”

The words rang strong as Toriel faded, a heart shimmering in her place before breaking and fading with her. Frisk was hysterical as she tried to reset back to a previous save that didn't exist. She had forgotten to SAVE, and as a result, she couldn't RESET.

“LET ME GO BACK! Please! I don't want you to go….” She cried.

A gold save star appeared up the stair as if to mock her pain. She glared at it and refused to do the thing that cost Toriel her life. She took out Toriel's glasses, which had stayed intact, and put them on. She headed to the exit without looking back, her head hung low in mourning.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, chapter 4 is here and boy, is it an important one. Chara is very much gonna ruin Frisk's life and Frisk still doesn't know she's inside her! This is going downhill fast. Hope you like it!
> 
> ~LadyHikari


	5. One Dream

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A monster loses all sense of love and compassion the moment they lose their SOUL. Human SOULS work a bit differently. For a human to truly lose their soul would mean they have no ability to feel anything, they would become a husk of a body and almost seem like they don't care anymore. Keep in mind, a SOUL can only be lost in conflict, battle.

**Chapter 5 - One Dream**

Frisk hoped to God that Toriel was the first and last she'd have to witness. If Frisk had to go through anything like that again, she couldn't handle it. Toriel broke her, a second would shatter her like glass. She was scared, standing at the exit, looking at the forest path to Snowdin. She was scared that she'd watch herself kill somebody again. She doubted Sans would let her, but Papyrus…oh God Papyrus. He trusted everything within a mile radius, if she did that to him. She couldn't even continue the thought, her mind flashing pictures of Toriel to her causing her eyes to water.

She started to walk away from the exit of the Ruins, brushing her tears away. A rustling in the tree line caught her attention and she tensed on instinct. She continued forward cautiously, keeping an eye out for any threat. Until she remembered her first time through here. She relaxed and headed on, only to be stopped by the one and only Sans.

“hey kid, what's up?” He asked casually, holding a hand out.

She was about to reach for it before she remembered one thing he did when they met, “Nuh uh, you can't get me with that so easily.”

Sans shrugged,”worth a shot. i'm Sans the skeleton by the way.”

“Frisk, it's a pleasure to meet someone who had a whoopie cushion in their hand to prank me with.” Frisk replied with a slight grin.

“if i may ask, where'd ya get those glasses?” Sans asked nonchalantly.

Her eyes teared, images flashing again, “Th-they’re Toriel's. From the Ruins. To remember her by.”

“why would you need to remember her.” Sans stated plainly.

“I-I, Sh-she's…” Frisk stuttered, futilely trying to hold back her emotions.

Her cheeks were lined with tears in mere seconds. She fell to her knees as she sobbed, unable to stop. Sans, for once, looked decidedly uncomfortable. Her tried to pat her on the back, but that only caused Frisk to latch onto him in a hug.

Sans almost fell with the force of it, “woah! sorry for asking kid.”

“Why did she have to die. Why couldn't I stop my own body? Why was I forced to watch!” She wailed quietly.

Sans’ eyes kneaded in confusion, her words contradicting themselves. Frisk started to wheeze heavily, her breath picking up rapidly, as she felt her throat constricting. Sans started to panic slightly as the girl started losing her ability to breathe.

“um. um. count in your head and slow down you breathing.” Sans threw out suddenly.

Frisk nodded almost noticeably as tears of a different pain started to form, her eyes tightening shut as she tried to slow down. She counted to five in her head as she tried to breathe in, doing the same while breathing out, her body relaxing with each cycle. Sans sat next to her on the snow-dusted path, looking into the trees.

“ya good, kid. you had me worried for a sec, that doesn't happen too often.” Sans mentioned offhandedly.

“I-I'm okay now. Thanks.” Frisk told him quietly.

“look, i won't ask, but it seems big. tell someone about, it'll help ya.”

Sans got up and held a hand to Frisk, she took it appreciatively. They walked down the path in silence, but a nice, if not a bit awkward, silence. They came to a bridge with an empty frame over it that anyone could fit through.

“my brother papyrus made this to capture humans with.” Sans told the girl next to him.

Frisk giggled, “It’s a bit too big if the bars are the width of the bridge.”

“yeah, well he tries.” Sans responded.

They came to a clearing with a lamp and a shack next to it. Without any explanation, Sans shoved Frisk towards the lamp.

“hide behind it.” Sans whispered.

Frisk did as told and saw Papyrus come into the clearing right after. As she hid, her mind went hazy as she struggled to stay upright and hidden. She couldn't even listen to the conversation and she pressed her fingers to her temple in an attempt to stay awake. It was futile as she fell back, her mind blank, her vision disappearing.

Chakras stood up and glanced at her surroundings, nothing familiar, but she had Frisk’s memory to go by, which was familiar with this place. She watched as a scarfed skeleton exited the clearing she was in, holding her twitching fingers back. As he left, she walked into the middle of the space, only to see a skeleton she did recognize.

“You!” She hissed, her voice laced with annoyance.

He smirked, “i had a feeling you were the problem. just try to be human around my brother, or better yet, let frisk free.”

 _“Oh no. I'm never letting that wretched girl go so easily. Everyone she cares about must be destroyed.”_ Chara sneered, not even bothering to pretend to be happy about this encounter.

He almost killed her in that previous timeline. He could kill her here. She growled to herself, knowing she shouldn't risk it.

“if you insist on staying, pal. don't mess with anything.” Sans said in parting, his lazy smile in place as he gave a short wave.

Chara glared after him, annoyed that he was a pretty skilled combatant, and thus, shouldn't be fought yet. She followed afterwards, Sans and the other skeleton talking up ahead.

“i found a human.” Sans stated, sounding somewhat proud.

“A HUMAN?! WHERE!” the tall skeleton exclaimed, his excitement sickening to the brunette.

Sans started to turn the skeleton around, “right. over. there.”

“OH MY GOD SANS!” The tall skeleton yelled, “THAT’S A ROCK.”

“what’s that next to the rock?” Sans provided.

“I...DON'T KNOW.” The skeleton admitted.

“well, it's not a rock.” Sans mentioned offhandedly.

“IF IT’S NOT A ROCK...BY PROCESS OF ELIMINATION, IT MUST BE A HUMAN!” The skeleton exclaimed.

Chara was just done with this. As much as she didn't care about the dolt, she wanted a name to a face. If she couldn't kill him right now, she wanted to be able to trick the skeleton and couldn't without a name. Though looking at it now, it wasn't particularly worth her effort.

“I AM PAPYRUS! PREPARE YOURSELF, HUMAN, FOR AN ASSORTMENT OF FUN ACTIVITIES SUCH AS: PUZZLES! BEING CAPTURED! CAPERS! JAPERS! I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, WILL PREPARE THEM FOR YOU!” Papyrus shouted, running off along the path.

Sans gave her a sideways glance as he turned to follow Papyrus, “play along, would ya? I'd hate to hurt a friend because of you.”

Chara brushed off his threat to her body as she searched around for monsters to quench her nearly unbearable bloodlust. She turned back to the fork in the road between the clearing and the path and started there. A save spot glowed gold opposite her as she ignored it, she had no intention of getting reckless yet. A rustle alerted her body’s senses, initiating a battle with a small bird. For the first time in this snowy hell, she grinned, giggling as she staggered to the bird, her concealed toy knife drawn. She felt positively amazing seeing that bird cowering in fear, just like it should. She swung her knife down, stabbing the monster in the chest, said monster letting out a strangled cry of pain as the fake knife hit. She cackled like the insane person she knew she was, basking in the dust now lightly covering the bottom of her sweater.

She was hit by a stroke of pure luck a second later as she accidentally activated the save point she had noticed earlier. It gave her a counter for monsters left, and how many were gone. The first being at 15, the second at a measly 1. Her grin was nearly feral as she scanned the treeline for the next monster. She had a number for something so perfect, it was almost impossible to believe herself. A new rustling only just shaking her out the daydream, the monster almost escaping her, almost.

She continued to search the area, her composure slipping little by little as she felt more dust settle. How could that stupid skeleton be so protective of his brother? For the first time, she felt a pain as flashes, brief, but she understood them as if they were going at a snail's pace, danced across her vision. Asriel and her playing together, no one between their sibling bond, eating in the kitchen with her family, and her slow descent into a depressive, hardened state where she wished everything would die. Her breath picked up slightly as she tried to ignore them.

_“That's not me, this is. Asriel was wrong. Wrong. Wrongwrongwrong. Wrongwrongwrongwrongwrongwrongwrong…”_

She held her head as more memory flashes came to her mind, this time, of Frisk. Her and Papyrus’ date, all the time she spent with the two brothers, Her horror as Chara, hardly recognizable to the one seeing these flashes, killed almost all of her friends. Chara fell to the ground, the flashes picking up speed to a point where they couldn't be distinguished, but Chara had no problem telling what was there.

She continued to deny, her voice raising to the point she was screaming. She couldn't have, never… Unbeknownst to her, Sans watched her mental breakdown from the shadow of the forest with a hard look.

Her mouth was bitter as she forced herself to get up. She checked the save point, forgetting all the monsters she needed had been killed about an hour ago. The star’s statement reflected her bitter resolve.

DETERMINATION.

She trudged on, her emotions to any outsider were indescribable as she fought to gain stability in her mind. She didn't smile after the incident, to tired to try. She just walked through the snow. She took no detours as she made her way back to the brothers. Sans gave her a look and Papyrus was extremely excited. She tuned out Papyrus’ explanation until one thing he said struck and rattled her.

“MY ONE DREAM IS TO BE A ROYAL GUARDSMAN. I MUST PROVE MYSELF BY BESTING YOU IN THESE PUZZLES!” He declared confidently.

A memory from a past she had long forgotten resurfaced.

“Hey Chara, do you have a dream?” A young Asriel asked her as they stared out into the Hotlands, bodies pressed close.

“It's sad to say mine, tell me yours first, Asri!” Chara replied, turning her head to face her best friend and brother.

Asriel shook his head and laughed, “Mine’s a bit dumb. I wish that if us monsters managed to break the barrier, we could live in peace with humans.”

He blushed embarrassed as he finished, rubbing the back of his head. Chara laughed a little, giving him a small smile. It faded as she looked down guiltily.

“My wish, my one dream… I want to see the surface again. I love you all, you're my family, but I miss the world up there, I'm horrible…” She whispered, tears starting to fall down her cheeks.

Asriel hugged his sister, shaking his head. Small tears became soft sobs as she clung back desperately. Asriel faintly heard their bedroom door open. He looked up at their parents standing in the doorway before looking back down at Chara.

“What happened?” Toriel asked gently, her and Asgore walking over to their children.

“She feels guilty that she wants to see the surface again.” Asriel told them quietly, Chara clinging harder to him as he spoke.

“Oh Chara…it’s okay, even if you can't return to us, we'd still love you.” Toriel soothed, joining the siblings in their hug.

“We’ll find a way to let you see it again, do not worry.” Asgore promised, also joining the hug.

Chara slowly stopped crying as she felt the love of her family.

She averted her eyes and rubbed them, tears starting to prick them. She didn't look back up, missing the look of slight surprise Sans had. With that, she started to walk through the puzzle, ignoring Papyrus’ indignant yell, confused that she would skip his puzzle. She pushed past the two and went on her way, trying to block out her own memories as they started to all play. She had a dream once, but it was crushed to moment she died.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh god, I'm feeling sad now. Chara was basically depressed and felt guilty that she wanted to see the surface again. She killed herself through poisoning when she couldn't take it, a little 8 year old had to deal with depression. Also, Frisk had a triggered panic attack. What triggered it should be fairly obvious.
> 
> Papyrus, you are making a normally psychotic girl cry and feel conflict. Good on you! Sans is no doubt taken aback by this because he only knew Chara as a little demon child who killed his brother. Hope you liked this!
> 
> ~LadyHikari


	6. Hesitation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chara can run, but she won't be to forever...

**Chapter 6 - Hesitation**

She tried. She tried to pretend she didn't have a SOUL, but she knew in reality, prolonged exposure to Frisk’s was restoring her own broken one. She frowned, confused how she even still possessed her own, she died. By all rights, her soul should be destroyed and gone from her body, but it didn't leave her. For how long it had been there, her guess was as good as any. One thing was certain, if this kept going, her fusion with Frisk would split them one way or another.

She glanced around from her spot, leaning against the wood stall. No one was there, some probably ran, Sans and Papyrus were wherever, and the rest were sticking to her sweater in tiny particles. She felt empty, no, not empty, defenseless. Defenseless and helpless. These feelings surfacing, ones she thought she had long since abandoned, they burned her. Her mind was in shambles and her (no, Frisk’s, a tiny, weak voice protested) heart constricted with each breath. Sh-she didn't need anyone…Its not like they would help…

She didn't know how long she sat there, confused and pained. No one came anyway, she thought, gladly? She wasn't sure anymore. That skeleton, Papyrus, she couldn't, didn't want to, go near him. This whole problem started when she met him, he was as much of a threat as Sans was. A small, malicious smile crossed her features as she knew how to end it. Oh, she did and didn't care how it had to happen. As her thoughts reverted back to how they were before, she reminded herself of her goal. She was Chara and she wouldn't be stopped.

She was confident and felt sensational as she headed forward. Her smile was edged and determined. Soon enough, she was staring down the brothers again, this time, she was positively gleeful. She ignored the look she got from Sans, her attention on him.

 _“Tell me, what will you throw at me next?”_ she asked sarcastically.

“I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, HAVE DECIDE TO LET SANS TRY AND STUMP YOU! HE SAID HE WAS POSITIVE IT WOULD WORK.” Papyrus exclaimed, gesturing to Sans.

“it will, don't worry. it's my best one.” Sans said with a confident wink and grin.

 _“It seems your best has a lot to be desired.”_ Chara taunted lightly, walking past the piece of paper on the ground.

“SANS! YOU DIDN’T EVEN STOP THEM! WHAT WAS THAT PAPER ANYWAY?” Papyrus moaned loudly, his annoyance evident.

“a word puzzle. maybe i should've used the crossword…” Sans mused, grin widening as Papyrus complained about his choice of puzzle.

“THOSE AREN'T EVEN REAL PUZZLES!”

Chara just watched this with a tic of frustration, waiting for them to get on with it. Papyrus finally threw his hands up and went ahead, Sans following with a pleased grin. Her resolve wavered a fraction seeing them together…but there was a reward to her own resolve. She got up and headed off after the two.

She swore she felt an encounter itching to reveal itself, despite knowing she killed the enemies still here. When she felt it again, she looked behind her, catching a small glimpse of green dive into the ground. She pulled a face, why was something stalking her? She was far from needing protection. She pulled a disgusted face at that, switching to a faster pace until she was sure it was gone.

She tried to ignore the fact that what looked like puzzles were already solved. She could see glimpses of vines around the puzzles. She tried to ignore the weirded out feeling she had, moving forward.

She stared at the multi shade board, the various grays irritating her eyes slightly. She then looked back across the board to see what she had become accustomed to seeing with the puzzle boards.

“WELCOME HUMAN!” Papyrus shouted joyfully.

She decided to cross the board. Papyrus looked annoyed.

“SANS! THIS HUMAN KEEPS GOING ACROSS MY PUZZLES WITHOUT LETTING ME EXPLAIN THEM…” Papyrus said, his bony face giving off the impression that he was pouting, “THEY’RE SUPPOSED TO LET ME BAFFLE THEM WITH MY AMAZING JAPES!”

“dunno, maybe they don't like puzzles.” Sans shrugged.

“THAT’S ABSURD! WHO DOESN'T LIKE PUZZLES?” Papyrus dismissed with a hand wave.

“Undyne doesn't like em.” Sans shot back.

“YES, BUT SHE AT LEAST TRIES THEM!” Papyrus complained, “HERE, WHY DON'T I LET THE HUMAN SOLVE IT BY THEMSELVES.”

Papyrus left a note in front of the machine next to him before leaving. Sans stayed, his back to Chara.

“i'd appreciate it if you would let Papyrus meet the actual human for once.” Was all she heard out of him as she walked past. She smirked as she was next to him.

“Sure, when he's about to fade to dust.” She giggled, her eyes focused on the path.

A glance back behind her allowed her to grace the presence of the look that contained unimaginable rage. Her comment was even enough to activate his eye, the glow burning fiercely. That look fueled her enjoyment, making her look forward to the reaction after she finished.

“ **you**.”

Never had she heard such emotion in a single word. It would've made her cringe earlier, but that incident was a one time deal. Now all she did was grin brighter, the grin taking a psychotic edge. She walked leisurely after that, basking in her joy at Sans’ anger. He couldn't risk fighting her after all, just like she couldn't with him. They both knew that it would come down to luck or cheating for either to win.

She thought about this as she strolled through, solving puzzles that hadn't been solved yet. All she got for the one she solved was a pile of snow that soaked her hair. She didn't bother going to explore the branched off paths, sticking to the main one. This rewarded her with another encounter with Sans and Papyrus, the former was starting to shake as he looked at her angrily, the latter seemed a little less confident.

“WELCOME HUMAN, TO YOUR FINAL CHALLENGE, THE GAUNTLET OF DEADLY TERROR!” Papyrus explained nonetheless.

That caught her attention, her smile wide again. She wasn't to impressed by how game some of the items were though.

“WHEN I SAY IT, IT WILL ACTIVATE! SPIKEBALLS WILL SWING! CANNONS WILL FIRE! READY HUMAN?” Papyrus continued.

His arm reach for the button, but before pressing down, it stopped.

“uh, bro, that doesn't look very activated.” Sans stated.

“IF I DO IT, THEY’LL JUST WALK THROUGH IT AGAIN. THEN IT’S ALMOST LIKE A BIRTHDAY PARTY.” Papyrus pouted.

“without spikes and fire?” Sans asked, amused.

“EXACTY! IT’S ENTIRELY POINTLESS!” Papyrus answered back.

Chara pouted, she actually would've tried this one. It seemed fun, very tortuously fun! She wouldn't have run across. She continued to do so through their discussion, waiting for them to notice.

“bro, i think they actually wanted to try this one.” Sans said with a point over to her.

“WELL…I'M SAVING THIS FOR UNDYNE NOW. I'VE ALREADY DECIDED!” Papyrus replied, looking a bit guilty.

He shook his head and walked ahead. Sans stared at her.

“any reason you wanted to do this puzzle, kid?” Sans asked.

 _“I guess these kinds of things just appeal to me. It looked like a blast.”_ Chara said nonchalantly.

She smirked this time as she passed him, she had an advantage over him. Papyrus seemed like the one to apologize if he felt guilty. He'd want to meet her. Either that or he was going to fight her. They both worked in her favor, it didn't matter which happened.

She paused in her thoughts and walking as she looked at the abandoned town. She walked through it slowly, finding the silence a bit creepy. She peeked into one of the buildings, it was a shop with no one inside. She looked at the knife she had and the gloves on the wall. She decided not to change weapons, she liked knives a bit more.

She walked a bit faster, the eerie feeling growing stronger. She almost sighed in relief at seeing someone else. The malicious feelings in her held her back. It was a kid monster who was looking around in confusion. He obviously didn't know why they left. She ignored him and continued further.

When she was out of the town, she thought it wouldn't be topped on how weird it was. She was wrong. The world slowly changed to a strange white and gray artistic piece. As she continued, she noticed Papyrus standing in wait.

“GREETINGS HUMAN. I HAVE COME TO CHALLENGE YOU.” Papyrus stated confidently, smiling.

Frisk was back in the darkness, she realized groggily. Though to be fair, this time the space seemed more like someone had put a black filter instead. She could make out shapes and tell what was the floor. She tried to think of how she got her, but it just made her head spin. She wasn't sure she was alone, even though there was no one else there. It was creepy, the shadow encasing the room.

Once again, the screen was there, illuminating the surrounding area this time. From it’s light, she could make out the frame of a computer and the desk/table (she really couldn't tell) it sat on. When she got close to the desk, she bumped into something. She grabbed at it, feeling around before realizing it was a chair.

She fumbled around a bit more before managing to sit in the chair. She watched the screen with a sliver of dread that someone else would die by her body. It happened once while she was like this, and she had a feeling it was no coincidence she was back here. She felt helpless like this, trapped and alone, waiting to be freed. She just hoped it wasn't who was currently on it.

Chara smiled serenely as she stared down the tall skeleton. She reached for the knife she had.

“BEFORE WE START, I WANT TO SAY SOMETHING, YOU’RE WEIRD.” her eyes narrowed, “YOU NEVER TRY MY PUZZLES AND YOU’RE COVERED IN DUST. I THINK YOU MAY WANT TO HURT ME, BUT I…IT WONT STOP ME FROM BELIEVING YOU CAN BE GOOD. JUST TURN YOUR LIFE AROUND AND BE MY FRIEND. FOR REAL.”

She hesitated, her hand hovering over the handle of her knife. A part of her told her to get it over with, to stop the confusion. A smaller part told her to wait, listen. For once, she listened, her hand dropping back to her side, her gaze wary. As the art faded to the monochrome of the snow from before, Papyrus stayed still, his stance peaceful.

“I-I’VE DECIDED…I WON’T FIGHT. I BELIEVE YOU CAN CHANGE.” His voice wavering, trying to stay confident.

Chara hand started to shake, her other going to her head. Tears pricked her eyes from the pain. It felt like her head was splitting. The voices, telling her to do their ideas before, were arguing with each other now, the volume nearly unbearable. Her shaking hand gripped her hair as she tried not to scream out. She couldn't focus on anything, her pain drowning out the world. She fell to her knees, close to ripping out her hair, knuckles white.

She felt something touch her, making her flinch.

“ _ **Stay away. Stay away!**_ ” She shouted, her eyes screwed shut.

The voices were screaming now, their voices unintelligible buzzing. She couldn't handle this, it was too much, too loud, too painful. She screamed and cried, it did nothing.

Then it started again. The flashes of memory. They hit hard and fast, striking her nerves like bullets. Her body was numb to the world now, only immense pain registered to her nerves.

Chara, now sobbing, begged, “ ** _Stop it, please! It hurts! Stop!_** ”

Her mind gave out finally, going blank. She passed out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sup! So, a lot of things went down this chapter. Chara is experiencing a split in her personalities, one from when she was fully human, the other in her psychotic bloodlust state. When they were fighting, her head felt like it was splitting! Add on the pain the memory flashes cause and no wonder she passed out! Also, props to Papyrus, he caused the bloodlust Chara to hesitate! That's not easy to make her do that involuntarily! Hope you like this chapter!
> 
> ~LadyHikari


	7. Personalities

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> She had shunned her emotions when she died, locking them away and pretending she had none. Something had to have formed in place of that hole.

**Chapter 7 - Personalities**

Sans looked down at Frisk, letting out a tired sigh.

“what did we get ourselves into, kid?”

Admittedly, when Papyrus came home carrying her, he wanted to kill her on the spot. He wanted the being known as Chara dead, but he knew if he killed her, Frisk would go down with her. So, they laid the unconscious girl on their couch. One thing that confused him was that saddened and guilty look Papyrus had. Chara had tried to kill him, right?

“Pap, what happened with the kid?” Sans asked slowly.

“THE BATTLE HAD STARTED…I WAS GIVING A SPEECH LETTING THEM KNOW I WANTED TO GO ABOUT IT PEACEFULLY.” Papyrus explained, his voice hollow, “I SAW HER HANDS START TO SHAKE BEFORE SHE STARTED CRYING IN PAIN. I SAW HER EYES CHANGING COLORS BEFORE SHE CLOSED THEM-”

“i don't want to interrupt, but what colors did you see?” Sans interrupted, his tone serious.

“UM…THE COLOR WE SAW USUALLY, THE BLACK AND BLUE EYES. THE OTHER COLOR WAS GREEN…WHY?” Papyrus answered tiredly.

“it-it's nothing, don't worry bout it.” Sans dismissed, his thoughts proving otherwise.

When they met, Sans was positive that Frisk had blue eyes, not green. Chara had the black coloring, that much he knew, but was there a third person? How could you even do that? What did the kid get herself into…

“SANS...THERE’S MORE.” Papyrus started gravely, “I- SHE- WHEN I TRIED TO GET CLOSE, SHE FLINCHED AND STARTED TO LOOK TO BE MORE IN PAIN. SHE STARTED TO SCREAM AND CRY, IT WAS HORRIFYING. ONE LAST THING, SHE STARTED TO BEG AT SOMETHING TO STOP. WE WERE THE ONLY TWO IN THAT CLEARING THOUGH…”

Sans looked down in thought, he knew Chara must've been in control, but what caused her to freak out confused him. It was possible Frisk was fighting free, but the color wouldn't have changed…

“we should leave em be for now.” Sans suggested.

He herded his brother out of the door, closing it with a mention he needed something. He sat down on the edge of the couch, shaking his head.

“just what did you do, kid?”

Frisk was perplexed, the screen had gained static a little after her body left Sans. It became almost unwatchable after her body was alone with Papyrus. She was worried, but the screen was crystal when her body faced Toriel, as bad as that was. She caught glimpses of of herself on the ground, in pain. Then, it was topped in strangeness by the room gaining light.

The room was simple, boring almost. It had everything necessary to be a bedroom, but nothing else. The only thing that made the room unique was the chair and desk she sat at, a new computer on the desk. If anything, she felt an attatchment to the room, but she didn't want to stay. She went to the door opposite the desk and opened it.

Sans was caught off guard when the kid woke up. He scrambled to sit up on the couch, trying to seem normal. He didn't know which one woke up though, her eyes shadowed by her bangs. He thought back to Papyrus as she lifted her head to look at him, they were green.

“so, how many of ya kids are in Frisk? He started, an awkward cough coming out.

“ _Only one. You've met all of her now, however._ ” The girl explained calmly.

“you… you, uh, part of Frisk then?” Sans asked, creeped out by how calm she was.

“ _No, I'm part of Chara._ ” The girl countered almost nonchalantly, like it didn't matter.

“heh, good one kid, i've met the monster and you don't exactly fit that.” Sans chuckled, disbelieving.

He regretted that by the next second.

“ _Have you seen a picture of Chara when she was alive?_ ” the girl asked suddenly.

Sans was caught off guard, “n-no never met em when she was.”

“ _My eyes were green._ ” the girl told him, “ _Confused? Both the one you met and I are both Chara, or more correctly, personalities of Chara. Your brother actually met the real Chara._ ”

“why didn't you do anything if you existed, that psycho’s been running around hurting everything.” Sans accused.

Chara looked away guiltily, “ _I couldn't, the main Chara had blocked me out the moment she died, the new personality growing from that void. She couldn't handle things and became unstable, imbalanced. That's why that personality is like that. I only recently was able to emerge again. You two caused that by sparking her memories, I've been growing back since, slowly trying to gain control, but the psychotic personality is unpredictable and holds a ton of control on Chara. I'm not even the dominant personality right now, I'm here separate from Chara while she's unconcious._ ”

A wry smile was on her lips as she explained this to him. Sans narrowed his eyes, a thought coming to him.

“what about Frisk?” He countered, “if Chara’s unconcious, Frisk should be in control of her body.”

“ _The other personality was very cunning, trapping her inside her mind. She has to realize and want to come back out to her body. Currently, she's confused by the events that happened. I can't tell much from that besides she's roaming free in her mind again._ ” Chara admitted, her eyes serious and tired, “ _I probably won't be staying out long. I don't have much energy and I think Frisk is going to break free soon. Just remember to keep an eye out for eye color._ ”

“got it.” Sans replied, holding back a chuckle at her unintentional pun.

Her eyes fell shut as she fell back on the couch. Her breathing was steady, her face serene. It was like there were no problems to her. Sans got up and went after Papyrus. He frowned as he debated if he should go through with hurting the kid. He really needed a way to erase that damned evil personality. Papyrus was waiting outside.

“WHAT DID YOU NEED?” He asked.

“i’ll tell ya later bro…” Sans sighed, an exhausted smile on his face.

Frisk looked out at the barren hallway. It was quiet, her breathing was the loudest thing to her knowledge. She felt like she need to be quiet just being here. She walked through the halls, peeking into the doors. Most contained normal rooms similar to the one she was in originally. Some were colorful and full of life, attracting her, drawing her in. She didn't stay long, wanting to view the rest of the rooms. She soon was left with four rooms, each held by a colored door, green, red, purple, and white. She chose the green door and looked in, a girl was sitting on a fluffy bed covered in poofy blankets in various shades of green.

“ _Hello Frisk._ ”

Frisk gasped in surprise, the small girl didn't even turn around. She debated whether or not to come in.

“ _Don't worry, you can come in. I want to talk to you anyway._ ”

Frisk stepped in hesitantly, stopping at the foot of the bed. The girl turned, a pair of vibrant green eyes meeting her blue ones. The girl’s smile was bitter as she broke their gaze.

“ _Frisk, I'm Chara._ ”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, yeah, both personalities have appeared. As she explained, Human Chara was only able to take control while Chara was unconcious, expending her own energy to do so. The reason for this is that Chara had shunned her and as a result, unless Chara accepts her, she can't take over as the dominant personality. Also, Frisk was viewing Chara and Sans when Chara had made that comment about when Frisk would meet Papyrus. Hope you like this!
> 
> ~LadyHikari


	8. Descent

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There's not much to explain, she needs time she doesn't have. He needed security that had been long gone. The other wanted to be free and happy again. Papyrus just wants friends. They all want something that is near impossible right now.

**Chapter 8 - Descent**

“Wh-what? H-how are you here? I-I erased you with NEW GAME!” Frisk stuttered fearfully, backing away from the bed.

Chara just shook her head, “ _No, you didn't. You were very close though._ ”

Chara slid to the edge to sit up, her gaze to the floor. Frisk knew she shouldn't let her guard down and stood near the door. She heard the sigh from Chara as she looked at Frisk from the corner of her eye.

“ _You wouldn't have made it through the door if I seriously planned on hurting you, not that I blame you after what the other has done. Just sit down and let me tell you what's happened._ ” Chara called tiredly, Frisk’s face reddening at getting caught.

Frisk eased herself in a chair again the wall as she curled herself in a ball on it. Chara let out a wispy laugh when she caught glimpse of Frisk.

“So…where are we?” Frisk asked awkwardly.

“ _Currently, we are in your mind, your body is unconscious in the real world. To explain further, I was in control of your body when it happened, or, at least, a part of me was._ ” Chara answered almost robotically, like she had to already answer this.

“A…a part of you, like you can split yourself into multiple people?” Frisk pressed lightly.

“ _No, not exactly. It's more like Chara is three different personalities contained in one being. I'm her personality from when she was human, thus retaining my original eye color, the one you met was the psychotic one, bent on killing for pleasure and has the whites of her eyes black colored instead. The third, well, she's more complicated to explain. To call her a personality wouldn't be completely true. It's more like she's a self aware shell for us two. She holds her own thoughts and feelings, but those are a bit skewed by which personality is in dominance at the time, reflected by which eye color she has._ ” Chara responded slowly, taking her time now that she wasn't going to fade away at any point.

“But if you exis-” Frisk started to counter, cut off by Chara's loud groan.

“ _I wasn't even free until recently! Chara shunned my existence the moment she died, locking me away and her emotions as well. This caused an imbalance in her, affecting the personality that tried to form to fill the void she had from my absence. That's why the other personality is so, well, deranged, psycho, mental. You aren't ever meant to lock away what keeps your SOUL going, it can and will fragment it, or, in the case of Chara, nearly destroy it completely. The other personality is in control because Chara shunned me, my freedom coming from her remembering her human life. I don't have the acceptance of Chara to take control. I couldn't even be sure I would even be able to if she did, the other personality holds an extensive amount of control over her._ ” Chara's teeth grating against each other in annoyance.

“Could you guys take over my body?” Frisk asked hesitantly, hoping it wasn't true.

Chara grimaced, “ _...Yeah. The psychotic personality got to Toriel and all the monsters in the Ruins and Snowdin, except for Papyrus, Sans, and a kid in the town. I'm sorry you had to watch, I wasn't free until she met those skeletons the first time. I hope it at least eases your guilt about Toriel. I know I'm a bit hung up that I would kill my own adopted mom in cold blood...that psychotic personality is truly twisted._ ”

Frisk got up and moved over to the guilt-ridden girl, if it came to bite her later, she didn't care. She hugged the girl, giving a soft ‘thank you’ as she did so. The girl started to shake and sniffle, apologizing over and over as she tightened her grip on Frisk. Chara started to pull away as she looked up at Frisk with a seriousness not matching the wet splotches on her face.

“ _Frisk, do you want to go back to your body?_ ” She asked, her voice slightly hoarse.

“If I could, that'd be great. How do I go back?” Frisk replied, now curious.

“ _Exactly what I said, you need to want to. It's like a door, if you're not aware of it, you need to spend a lot of energy to open it, but once you are aware, you can open it easily. It worked the same with Toriel, you expended a lot of energy to force yourself back, but now you can do it with a single determined thought._ ” Chara explained with a slight smile, though her eyes betrayed how sad she was.

“Before I go, I want to tell you something.” Frisk told her urgently.

She whispered into her ear, eliciting a gasp from Chara. Chara smiled happily, her eyes not showing as much sadness, and tears starting to fall again. She nodded. Frisk closed her eyes and concentrated on going back. Her body shimmered as she saw Chara waving through the bright light.

“ _Chara, I will always believe in you._ ”

Frisk woke up gasping for air. She panicked at the sensations because she didn't need them in her mind, the flood coming back was a bit jarring. Her senses tingled, as if adapting back to her from Chara and she frowned. How long had it been? She didn't get long to adjust as she heard a door slam, hurried footsteps coming closer.

It was Papyrus, Sans coming a bit later, panting and sweating blue. She smiled, tears of happiness pricking her eyes. She was back. For real. She got up and tackled the two in a hug.

“SANS, WHAT IS THE HUMAN DOING?” Papyrus asked, confused and slightly embarrassed.

“heh, she's hugging us pap. she must be happy.” Sans chuckled, a slight blue tint betrayed his own embarrassment.

“I'm finally back. Thanks to her, I'm back.” Frisk murmured happily, a content smile on her face.

They tried to pull away, but she just held on tighter. She didn't want them to go, in case that personality of Chara gained control again. Papyrus and Sans shared a glance.

“WHY WON’T THE HUMAN LET GO?” Papyrus whispered no so quietly.

“I can't be alone. Not yet. Promise me you won't leave.” Frisk began to plead.

“okay kid, we-” Sans started casually.

“Sans, be truthful. I can tell you're just humoring me.” Frisk deadpanned.

“fine, fine. we won't leave ya kid, we’ll stay in our house.” Sans chuckled, having been found out by the brunette.

“I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, WILL HELP THIS SMALL HUMAN BY STAYING HERE!” Papyrus declared, a goofy and determined look on his face.

Frisk smiled, she knew that no matter what, she had the best friends to turn to. She glanced at Sans, she should tell him tell him what happened. She was positive she wouldn't freak out, she knew she wasn't responsible. However, despite the fact that she knew Papyrus wouldn't hate her, she didn't want him there. She didn't want him to know about her panic attack when she first came to Snowdin. He didn't deserve to be roped into her messes, but Sans, from what she gathered, probably put it together on his own. She knew he could remember the timelines like she, herself, could and was able to meet that psycho face to face. From what the human Chara told her, Sans probably met her possessed body and it didn't take a genius to guess what happened, with her eyes, presumably, changing colors when Chara took over.

“Um…Sans? Can I talk to you for a moment? Alone? Just in the other room, so I don't break my own promise. ” Frisk asked quietly.

“sure kid, let's go to the kitchen. Papyrus, keep watch at the door and don't let anyone come inside.” Sans agreed.

“I WILL MAKE SURE NO ONE ENTERS THIS HOUSE!” Papyrus declared with a confident smile, running to stand guard at the door.

The two went in the kitchen, Frisk taking a seat at the table. Sans just stood at the counter, leaning back on it.

“so, whatcha want to tell me?” Sans questioned casually.

“Well, remember how Chara came to the last timeline. H-how she killed everyone? Um, She- she's not gone…” Frisk trailed off, feeling stupid for not figuring this out on her own.

“yeah, i met her. both of her. what's this about?” Sans replied in what seemed to be a nonchalant tone, but the tension in his body told her otherwise.

“I think I know what hap- Wait. What?” Frisk started, only to register what he said, responding with shock, “How would you even- the good one can't even take over Chara right now!”

“easy, Chara, the original, was unconscious. she took over your body with her own energy.” Sans answered immediately.

“Must've been some door…” Frisk murmured to herself, “Anyway, the point is, I think found out what happened in the last timeline, or at least, pieced together an answer. You weren't there, but to explain, NEW GAME is an ability that lets me restart the world to when I fell. The problem is, when I use it, I'm semi-unconscious and not able to respond or acknowledge my surrounds outside the commands to start NEW GAME. I think Chara merged with me during that state, allowing her to avoid being erased with NEW GAME. Also, I-I ...    found out she killed Toriel in my body. And the other monsters in here and the Ruins.”

“makes sense. that personality wouldn't care about sparing anything. i know the green-eyed one only came back recently. not that she was able to stop it from doing damage.” Sans grimaced.

“I saw bits of what happened with you and her. You looked furious…” Frisk added.

“don't ask kid, i might just destroy the counter thinkin bout it.” Sans muttered.

“It was like I was watching a film reel. A really bad film, but still like one nonetheless. It was all staticky after I saw you two. It was basically unwatchable…” Frisk explained, disappointed that she couldn't have seen more.

The atmosphere was heavy as they both thought about how they knew Frisk would be forced out soon. Sans knew what, or rather who, the psychopath was after. She wanted his brother dead, one way or another. Frisk deserved fair warning.

“be careful around my bro, he was, and probably still is, the next on the crazy kid’s hit list. if you think she's breaking out, get away, restrain yourself, do whatever to let you have time to get your body back.” Sans warned, not even bothering to hide his seriousness behind his smile, his eyes told everything anyway.

Frisk looked at her hands as she thought about what he said, knowing she probably would need time Chara wouldn't let her have.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sad that this is still a genocide run story and eventually I'll have to kill some of my favorite characters. Papyrus, stop being such a nice guy! Sans stop being so awesome and cool! I don't want to kill them, but I'm dedicated to some thought ideas, so I have to.Hope you enjoyed!
> 
> ~LadyHikari


	9. Burning

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Entertain this question: who is the knife equipped to? Also, who has Toriel's glasses. This might clear up some things.

**Chapter 9 - Burning**

Frisk was surprised when Sans decided to take Papyrus and her to Grillby’s. She and Papyrus shared a look of surprise. Sans didn't just do things like this in random, he'd rather drift along. She grimaced when she thought of an idea why. He doubted that she could hold off Chara. She couldn't blame him either, she shared a similar fear and it terrified her. She knew just how strong Chara was and how cunning she could be.

They went to the restaurant. To Papyrus’ surprise and her horror, no one was there. Now that she thought about it, human Chara did mention that the original killed all of the monsters. The town was barren when they walked through it, but she ignored it, wanting to just be content with the brothers.

“WHY ISN'T ANYONE HERE?” Papyrus asked curiously.

“dunno. let's go home, you can make dinner pap.” Sans shrugged, his tone sounding a bit forced and rushed.

“Yeah…” Frisk whispered to herself.

Waking back to their house was an even harder journey, now that she realized why the town was empty. The atmosphere was heavy, weighing down on her for ever giving into Chara, regardless of how aware she was or not. She frowned, her lips in a tight line, as she stared at the ground, footprints barely visible in the snow as more fell to cover them. Who's they were was a question she refused to ask herself.

They got back rather quickly, Papyrus running to the kitchen in a hurry. Sans led her to their couch and grabbed the remote.

“so, what do ya wanna watch?” Sans asked without even giving her a glance.

She didn't respond, lost in her thoughts as she tried not to think about the implications of the empty restaurant. Her eyes were still trained on the floor, her mouth hadn't moved either. She felt no push from her mind, which she hoped meant that Chara was still out. It felt like false hope, even if she couldn't check.

“kid? ‘m sorry about Grillbz, but stop the vegetable treatment, it's weirdin’ me out.” Sans pleaded a little, his voice only falling on deaf ears.

Frisk was lost in her thoughts, ignoring her current surrounding and choosing to delve deeper into her contemplative state. Her mind went back to her promise of belief to the human Chara, feeling like her thoughts right now broke that promise. She vaguely felt someone shake her.

“kid, don't do this to me. i warned ya about this, don't ignore me just like that!” Sans begged, his shaking growing frequency as her blank stare continued, “don't shove the problem on me, you have to help!”

Frisk started to get out of her thoughts as she came back to being violently shaken by Sans. She shoved his hands off as she looked over at him, about to chew him out, and saw his panicked and frazzled look.

“What just happened?” Frisk asked quietly.

“you went full vegetable on me is what happened! scared me for a second there kid…” Sans let go, falling on his back, a sigh of relief coming out.

After eating some dinner, her food having been somewhat cold, the three went to bed. Frisk took the couch while the skeletons went to their separate rooms. With some unsurprising difficulty, her eyes finally closed as her mind shut down for the day.

Almost an hour later she got up, her eyes shrouded by the house’s darkness. She made a dash for the front door, her eyes glinting green in the light from the windows.

‘She believes in me, I'll help her!’ She thought to herself, having recharged enough to be able to do this again. She felt that Chara was going to wake up soon. She couldn't come out when Chara was awake, her being would be back in Chara when that happened. She got the door open and ran into the snow before she fell down, her essence starting to go back to Chara. She writhed on the ground, trying to fight the iron pull that tugged on her, her mouth open in a silent scream of protest. It was futile as when the body of the 13 year old girl got up once more, the eyes were being swarmed with black, the irises fading to blue once again.

Chara shook her soaked sleeve in disgust, the snow having melted and water seeping into it. She gripped her knife as she went back in the house. Her thoughts went back to when she looked through that village, this house was one of the ones there. She remembered bits and pieces before she woke up, but it was enough to gather that this was somewhere else, not where she fought the idiot skeleton. She wasn't an idiot herself, so she guessed this was his house. Frisk must've tried to run and save Papyrus, but now it was futile. She was here and there wouldn't be hesitation this time.

She made her way through the house quietly, knowing if **he** found out, she'd be in for a long battle. She checked in the rooms quietly til she found the one she needed. Papyrus was asleep, laying haphazardly in his bed. She shook him awake and told him to be quiet. She led him outside without pause, only stopping when she felt they far enough away. She then turned and looked up at him with a smirk, starting the battle. He looked confused and groggy as he struggled to understand what was going on.

“WHY ARE WE OUT HERE? IT’S THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT.” Papyrus asked with a yawn, either not acknowledging or noticing the world’s monochrome hues.

She looked at him seriously as she took out her knife, determined to finally end her problem’s source. She wouldn't fail this time. She slashed him silently, his pained and confused face delighting her as she started to giggle. The giggling soon evolved into crazed laughter, her face twisted in a mocking sneer.

“ _Hello, I'm Chara. You've been dealing with me for forever. I guess you met the owner of this body if you were so willing to trust me. You've caused me too many problems, now they're gone! Thank you._ ”

She smirked as she shoved Frisk back into her body, her knife fading away as she retreated. The girl was tired as she stared around in confusion, quickly waking up as she saw Papyrus below her.

“No…no. Nono. Nononononono! Papyrus!” Frisk whispered, her voice raising as her feelings were shattered once again, “You can't leave! We need you, Sans, me, everyone in Snowdin.”

“A-ARE YOU T-THE HUMAN? O-OR ARE YOU C-CHARA?” Papyrus asked, his voice rough.

“I-I’m Frisk. It's nice to see you again Papyrus…” She tried to say steadily without crying, “You a-and Sans were wonderful this afternoon. You tw-two kept your promise to stay with me.”

“I C-CAN’T LEAVE Y-YET, I-I’LL BE BREAKING T-THAT VOW!” Papyrus declared weakly, his legs already fading.

She held her hand to her mouth, tears falling as she cried softly. Papyrus smiled as he faded fully, his scarf falling into the snow. As his SOUL shimmered away, she felt her heart shatter. Anger filled her, directed straight at the psycho who caused this. All of this. She cried in the snow, her glimmer of a chance at happiness stolen right in front of her. She felt a warmth come towards her, melting the snow to yellow grass. She turned to see Sans, his eye radiating blue light and burning hatred. She gave him an equally angry look, handing him the scarf of the one who didn't deserve this.

“leave Snowdin kid.” Sans told her coldly, “i might just attack you instead of you don't.”

“I thought you'd say that…” She replied, turning around to start walking to the Snowdin exit.

She could've sworn she heard crying behind her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Papyrus.... ;-;
> 
> In other news, there was an intentional reason as to why Human Chara doesn't call herself Chara, she and the other personality see Chara as the real Chara. Thus, they only call the original Chara. Also, Undyne is next, oh god. Sans pushed Frisk away, but doesn't hate her. He can't, he knows who to direct it at, but he was serious about attacking Frisk. Hope you enjoyed!
> 
> ~LadyHikari


	10. Dead Inside

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Seems Frisk and Chara are switching problems kinda. Wonder how that's gonna go down...

**Chapter 10 - Dead Inside**

Her face was unreadable to any nonexistent person. Her eyes looked to be staring at nothing, tired and angry. She just wanted to be done with this all. She couldn't possibly feel any worse, having had watched her happiness fade away with two monsters. That… that damned personality needed to go to hell, though she'd probably enjoy it there. Frisk’s tears had long since dried and she refused to let them fall again.

She walked up to the cave entrance to Waterfall and stared at it. The quiet, peaceful atmosphere contrasted greatly with what she knew would happen when she entered. She felt the anxious energy bubbling in the back of her mind, strangely holding back for once.

“What? You waiting for me to find some monsters?” She grumbled.

“ _No, it's fun watching your anger break free though._ ” Came the unexpected answer back.

“So, now you torment my mind literally. You already crushed my happiness, what do you want!” Frisk yelled aloud, too angry to just send the thought back at the sadistic girl in her mind.

“ _Your happiness was just a bonus. I'm not even close to being done with you, wise girl._ ” Chara glowered back, her voice fading in and out like waves, “ _You destroyed my chance at life. I'm just returning the favor._ ”

“Great, now I'm told completely that I'm being possessed by a insane, sadistic kid who has anger issues. Just fantastic.” Frisk muttered sarcastically.

“ _I'm more than that, you worm. I could have you wrapped around my little finger if I wanted!_ ” The 8 year old declared furiously, “ _You haven't even seen a fraction of my power._ ”

“Yes, I'm just going to trust the kid who killed the one woman who was a mother figure to me and one of my close friends. Completely submissive right now.” Frisk snarked back at Chara.

She kept walking, ignoring the furious voice of the crazy eight year old. She rubbed her head, the yelling was a bit loud. She had no way to shut up the girl, so she had to deal. She was so done with this. She really wanted to shake the girl in her head and tell her to accept her humanity, it was grating to deal with the repetitious reactions of the psychotic one. It was either anger or sadistic glee with seemingly no off switch.

To say she was actually feeling anger was a lie, irritation yes, but as she came to think about it, she felt hollow. It was like someone had drained all of her basic emotions and left only secondary ones. Happiness, sadness, anger, they were all gone. It was like her argument with Chara had stolen them. Her mind was blank as she walked through the long cave of Waterfall, the blue glow that would've have calmed her previously only served to make the silent tunnels eerie.

She looked at the familiar stall in front of her, her mind jumbled. Sans wasn't there, and hadn't been for a while, judging by the partially melted snow. She didn't let it get to her as she strolled on past the wooden shack. As she walked, she came to a room with a giant waterfall, flowing peacefully in contrast to the hell that has been happening. One thing that didn't change was that monsters were there. Seeing them flee in fear caused her chest to ache, those drained emotions hitting her like a truck. She fell to the ground, clutching at her chest in a fruitless effort to stop the flood. She passed out mere moments later, the stress of it too much to bear, tears of pain and anguish decorating her cheeks.

Chara got up, her face twisted in complete disgust for her host.

“ _At least let me knock you out, otherwise it's no fun, worm._ ”

She continued past the familiar stall, stopping at the water with begrudging hesitation. She scowled at it, not knowing how to approach the wet flow before her. It was murky and had no clear bottom for her to judge the depth. She chided herself for being hesitant to walk through it. She stuck a foot in, finding the bottom to be closer than she expected. She slowly stuck her body in the slightly chilly water and waded through it grumpily. Her face held a permanent frown, glaring at the water when she reached the other side. She hated this place, it made her uncomfortable and irritated.

Walking in soaked clothes was not pleasant. The part of Frisk’s clothes from the waist down stuck to Chara’s skin, making it hard to move comfortably. She couldn't run around naked, she still had a sense of decency despite her urges for bloodshed. She shivered involentarily when the cave’s temperature dropped lower, her clothes heavy on her skinny frame. She stared at the patch of random long grass suspiciously before pushing into it, the grass closing back around her after she let go of it.

Not even a few step in did she sense something powerful nearby, practically radiating magical strength. Show off… They'd have to be purposefully releasing it for someone to be able to sense it. Either the monster was showing off in arrogance or they wanted to… She stopped dead with a scowl, ceasing any movement as she heard metal grating against metal in the distance. The grating getting closer ever so slowly, until it stopped. The silence that replaced the previous noise only made her more on edge, her scowl darkening. Out of nowhere, the grating returned, this time growing softer. She started to exit the grass slowly, her ears tuned to hear any new noise outside of the crunching grass. When nothing new came after she exited the grass, she let her tension eb.

“Wow! That was awesome!” A voice sounded out of nowhere.

She berated herself for jumping, her tension high and guard up. It was the stupid kid from the village, the one who couldn't see why his kind had evacuated. She glared at him, her knife coming to her hand as she walked away from the kid. He wasn't worth it if he was too dumb to notice the obvious threat in front of him  
She growled internally when she heard footsteps keeping with her, the kid being the obvious source. She gave him a side glance filled with hatred. This kid was an imbecile, he followed her without any prompting.

“ _When did I ever say you could follow me, you idiot._ ” She spat with irritation.

“U-uh, I'm sorry miss…I just…I can't find anyone and I'm alone and Undyne probably won't let me follow her, but I thought…” The kid stuttered nervously.

“ _What? That I wasn't alone by choice? Well tough luck kid. Find a different person to follow around._ ” Chara sneered with an angry scowl.

With that, she stalked off, not even realizing that she basically spared something for once.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! First, I'm sorry for how long this took me, I'm currently posting this on a bus to Florida, so yeah. The time between then and now was basically me knowing I needed to do research for genocide waterfall scenes, but I didn't want to watch them. Also, it was due to the trip I'm on with the band of my school to Disney. We play in the magic kingdom parade for those curious, look for orange uniforms.
> 
> Anyway, about the chapter itself, not much to say that didn't explain itself. Frisk shut down after Papyrus, Chara is unintentionally embracing humanity, ya know, normal things.The banter they had at the beginning was a blast to write (*cough* I like writing sarcastic Frisk *cough*). And the end, Monster Kid won't AS oblivious in here as in game, he's more or less alone and doesn't like it at all. He probably will continue to follow Chara just for that, even if she refuses. Hope you enjoyed!
> 
> ~LadyHikari


	11. Screws Loosening

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chara didn't handle the doubt in her own power well, she was in control, not some worm. She...she wanted the pain of the monsters again. She felt the need of release, she craved it.

**Chapter 11 - Screws Loosening**

Chara gripped the knife tight, her face hard and stony. This cave was getting to her, making her…weak. Walking further made her groan in annoyance, she knew she should've and would've killed the kid, so why?! Why did she spare him! She could've, should've, done it. She continued to stalk through the cave in a huff, irritated by the stupid kid’s words. She’d sooner destroy everything than walk around with a kid who didn’t even know why everyone he knew was gone forever. Why not go to his precious Undyne, who he at least recognized! She was a stranger, he was a stranger. They don't mix! She wasn't someone to take lightly, and if she saw that kid again she was going to kill him without a second thought.

That…yeah, that was good…very…exciting…

She let her imagination run through the creative ways she could kill him. A knife has many… _many_ …uses. Oh so many. The ways she could toy with the kid…his _agony_ like sweet chocolate to her twisted urges. She started to giggle at the entertainment her brain put forth, dissolving quickly into a long, loud cackle. Yes…perfect suggestions and prompts to work with, a beautiful story to share. One dark and loaded with insane desires soon to be fulfilled.

Frisk groaned in pain and annoyance when she ended up back in her mental holding cell of a mind. She let her memories catch back up with a grimace, she had really though repressing things would help? If she was here, might as well find the human Chara. The original didn't seem less psychotic by any means, she only seemed to have lost any semblance of tolerance and gained a bigger temper in it’s place.

She opened her door and stared out into the expansive hallways yet again. Theoretically, she should be able to go back, she had found it once before. It **was** one of the only colored doors, the rest, despite the contents, were a dull dark gray, including her origin room. As much as she’d like to call it hers, it didn't sit comfortably with her. It felt...off, for lack of better explanation. It was like a puzzle piece that was slightly too small to fit with the one she had. She could say similar things about the other rooms she had visited as well, even the room where she met human Chara.

She walked down the hall, aimless and confused. Did she actually go this way before? If she didn't, it was too late to turn back now, she'd already walked for what felt like an hour. Still no signs of the four colored doors…

She stared at it. Oh hell…she wasn't in the mood for a game of door scramble. Why brain?! Why would you move the damn doors! The door she was currently facing was the purple door, it's wood faded from nonexistent use. She felt a tug from her SOUL, a sense of want and longing begging her to go in. She obliged, ever so careful, as she inched the door open. The contents made her gasp, her eyes misting and she fought the tears trying to fall.

Chara felt a prick in her mind, like a fly had found a way to buzz in there. It seemed her little worm was awake again, but she chuckled, no fear was needed. She could shut Frisk in with willpower alone. Her energy at it’s peak as she wandered through the cave, looking for victims to add to her slaughter. Oh how she wished she was there right now, just to destroy the worm slow and calculated. Rope? No, she wished she had chains and handcuffs, they would keep her victims helpless. She walked on, fueled by her desire for death and pain. She was on a high as she stumbled through the tunnels, her deranged laughter bouncing off the walls.

Chara was ruthless as she tore down the monsters of Waterfall, horror filling the eyes of the survivors when she found them. She barely acknowledged the shifts to battle anymore, lunging at each enemy as soon as she saw them. Her movements were frenzied as she stalked the cave, some monsters crying from fear at the maliciousness she radiated. She had power, she was in control. It was her body now, only hers. That worm wasn't doing anything, hadn't even tried to take her body back. Idiot. She didn't bother even mocking the creatures anymore, the only sounds she made were cackles at the fear-ridden ones and growls at the few who managed to escape her.

She stared at the statue, her emotions unreadable. It was…was **him**. It was almost pitiable how crumbled and sad the statue’s state was. She glanced around for anyone before grabbing an umbrella from the nearby rack and sheltering the statue, triggering a music box inside the statue. Her eyes misted, from the rain or from herself, she couldn't tell. Green eyes stared at the statue in remorse, having flickered in briefly, before Chara came to her senses with a hardened glare. She stormed off and continued through the rain that soaked her for the second time.

She growled at the newest obstruction to her path, the ledge about a foot taller than she could reach. It was smooth and had no foothold in sight, but she doubted they would help her with the rain pouring down like it was. The umbrellas looked too weak to support her weight and she doubted she could climb the umbrella container either. She was close to find g another way around when a small voice rang behind her.

“U-uh Miss? C-can I help you u-up there?” A fearfully small voice asked.

She turned, ready to fire off at the kid for thinking down on her, but stopped before the words came when an idea formed. A sickly sweet grin spread across her face when she turned to the Monster Kid.

“ _I would **love** some help. I'm **so** sorry for how I acted earlier, I was just so scared, I lashed out!_ ” She lied easily, holding back a smirk at the brightly happy face of the kid.

“Oh really? Well, I'd be happy to help!” He replied with innocent kindness in his tone, unaware how badly of a decision he was about to make.

Chara climbed up the kid’s shoulders without care of hurting him, his wincing almost breaking her façade. She gave him another painfully sweet grin as she looked down at him from the ledge.

“Oh, I hope I helped! I don't think I can get up there, but at least you got up!” He told the girl, “I think I'll go find Undyne, she may be able to help me up. I'll see you later!”

“ _Yes, thank you so much. Have fun._ ” Chara drawled in a sickly sweet tone, her smirk growing when he walked away.

Frisk was in tears, th-they couldn't be...they're **dead**. In the purple door’s room stood Papyrus and Toriel, both looking like they'd never even died. She saw no wounds or sign of their death on them at all. She couldn't help it, she ran and hugged Toriel, tears staining the goat woman’s dress as she sobbed. A pat on her head made her cry harder.

“Hush, my child.” Toriel soothed, “We have something to share with you.”

“W-why? H-how are y-you alive?” Frisk hiccuped, pulling back to look at the two monsters.

Toriel’s expression saddened and then grew angered, before she answered, “We are still dead, my child. What you see, it… It isn't real, we are creations of your pain.”

“H-how-wh-” Frisk stuttered.

Papyrus took an unusually serious tone, “WE BOTH DIED BY CHARA’S HAND. THIS ROOM HERE IS THE CENTER OF YOUR SOUL AND MIND, JUST AS THE GREEN-EYED CHARA HAD HER’S. WE ARE HERE TO HELP YOU AND GUIDE YOU FORWARD.”

“You're going to help me get my body back.” She breathed as the realization dawned on her.

“Exactly.”

She finally decided to glance around her room as she listened to Toriel’s explanation of how they would help her. It was a near identical copy of her room in Toriel's house, save for the fact most of it was now shades of purple and all of the shoes were gone. She took a seat on her bed and finally looked back to Toriel and Papyrus.

“You'll need to concentrate for this. Last time, you were luck the girl was unconscious, otherwise you would've had to battle it out for control. This time we'll prepare you to force Chara into your body again, so you can regain control. The only thing I'm hesitating on telling is…” Toriel sighed, “We need to disappear for this to work. We are composite beings of your SOUL, energy from you is the only part of our existence and you'll need it to be able to fight for your body to the degree Chara will be trying to control it. You expended a lot of your energy unconsciously into our creation and unlike last time, you **will** need it.”

“What will happen to you two?” Frisk asked her.

“We will still exist, technically, since we stem from you, but you won't be able to see or interact with us any longer. We all know that we can't stay.” Toriel explained.

“HUMAN, I ASSURE YOU, WE WILL MEET AGAIN IN ANOTHER TIMELINE. I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, SWEAR IT TO YOU.” Papyrus declared, with a warm smile.

“Yeah.”

Chara grinned when she saw the blue spots on the ground, someone wanted a fight. She stayed where she was and let them surround her, blue spears rising from them and doing her no harm. She wanted to fight them, but the spears prevented her from trying, so she decided to get them to chase her. She ran through the maze of bridges, most of the spears spawning harmlessly around her, a few nicking her from time to time. She ran till she ended up face to face with an armored monster. She giggled as she summoned her knife to her hand. To her slight shock and disappointment, the monster severed the bridge between them and her side started to fall down. She was knocked unconscious upon impact to the ground, having fallen back first.

She was lying on something soft. Her left arm felt odd and she had a hard time being able to sit up. Her head was on fire and she opened her eyes. She was in a cave sitting on a bed of yellow flowers.

“Hello?” She called, wondering if anything lived down here.

“Is someone there?” A voice echoed from the tunnel to her left.

She turned to the voice to see a small furred… animal? She wasn't sure, he had talked and he was walking like her. He looked like a goat, but was wearing a striped sweater and shorts. She couldn't find a name to describe him.

“Who are you?” The…thing called to her.

She shrank back warily at the question, “Why should I tell you?”

“So mom can help you! You look hurt.” It stated, “You don't have to go, but-”

“Chara.”

“I'd really like to- wait, what?” The creature’s eyes widened slightly at her interjection, “Chara? Is that your name?”

She nodded, “Now tell me yours.”

“I shouldn't tell that to strangers.” It tried to argue.

“Yet you still asked for a stranger's name.” Chara countered blankly.

“Fine. Fine. My name is-”

Frisk didn't know what had happened, first she had been preparing to force the wall blocking her to her body to break, then a second before she tried, it had fallen on it’s own. She had no time to stop it and ended up shoving herself into her body with an unnecessary amount of force. Her surroundings changed to what seemed to be the Waterfall and she came to find herself sitting on a patch of golden flowers.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's finally here! Yay! It took a bit to finish, but I like how it turned out. I want to say this, how Chara is acting is not the same as the first chapter. She is incredibly unstable right now, the evil personality cannot comprehend weakness in herself. Chara is cracking at the seams and that's why you saw her flicker so fluidly between personalities, she's starting to be affected by the personalities more heavily. Frisk, on the other hand, while upset by their deaths, is starting to cope with the deaths of Toriel and Papyrus and focus on her main goal of helping the human Chara. Her not refusing to let them disappear is a sign of that progress and yes, they had returned into Frisk shortly before the final paragraph. Hope you liked this!
> 
> ~LadyHikari


	12. Notice (will be deleted for new chapter)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Skip the first paragraph if you only care about this fic and not me.

Hello everyone, I'm here to answer your question on the lack of updates recently. Some stories are fine in that regard and it's just been a slow process or lack of inspiration (ATTWN is probably dead. Probably. The Nuzlocke had its reasons described in it. The UtaPri fic is trying to pick the next characters chapter.). To have my ideas even go up is a process sometimes! I have over a dozen different fanfics sitting here with this notice in Google Docs that may never even see the light of day. Those usually either through a lack of love for the product of the original idea in my head or will take way too much to sufficiently keep them afloat.

However, one fic I have has noticeably grinded to a halt, my Undertale fanfic.

Equation of the SOUL from the start was a favorite to write for me (and I may have been writing at school because of it) and I kept chugging along with not a schedule in sight (and it still isn't). I was usually fine and I believe (maybe, if have to check) I said why some were delayed, like when I went to Disney. This notice is here to say why for next chapter (which is partially done), it's been, well, not there. A small part of the problem, which usually isn't bad in other cases, is that I've been writing for other fics (*cough cough* achievement hunter *cough cough* All AU, don't worry *cough cough*). It's bad now because I've been doing marching band since the end of July and have now been rushing around for starting school. If you never knew, I use Jacksepticeye’s playthrough of genocide as a basis for me to get most of my story cues where they need to be, which would usually be easy except when you have a limited time to do so and have been using it for other fics. I'm sorry for putting it off and will try to update soon.

~LadyHikari


End file.
